00:00Abdul El-Sayed made history on Tuesday, becoming the first Muslim ever elected to the United States Senate.
00:08The Michigan Democrat is of Egyptian descent and faced racist and Islamophobic attacks during his campaign.
00:16His position on Gaza energized many supporters in the U.S. and across the Middle East.
00:23But in Egypt, the reaction to his win has been mixed.
00:27Many Egyptians see his victory as proof that American voters can look past religion and ethnicity.
00:35But El-Sayed's criticism of Cairo has muted official celebration.
00:41After winning his party's nomination in August, he said his family came from a country without democracy
00:48and called Egypt a military dictatorship funded by our tax dollars.
00:53Egypt's state media has largely ignored his win and pro-government commentators have dismissed his Egyptian roots.
01:02But many Egyptians still celebrated, enjoying his use of the Arabic word habibi in his victory speech.
